The Sydney Australia Temple is located in suburban Carlingford, about 12 miles northwest of downtown Sydney. The tranquil setting is considerably beautified by award-winning landscaping including huge eucalyptus trees that perpetuates appealing form and color year round. The temple shares its site with Church area offices and a patron housing facility.

The Sydney Australia Temple sits on property formerly used as a school for boys. The buildings were renovated and converted for Church use including area offices.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelves Apostles—a former mission president of Australia—presided over the groundbreaking services for the Sydney Australia Temple. At a fireside that evening, he said, "There is no reason why we can't have temples in Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, or wherever the number of saints justifies it." His statement proved prophetic with the construction of the Adelaide Australia Temple, Melbourne Australia Temple, Brisbane Australia Temple, and Perth Australia Temple.

During construction of the Sydney Australia Temple, numerous workers on the project—most of whom did not belong to the Church—asked questions of Brother Frank Hewstone, the Church’s project representative, about the temple. One worker often turned to many by the time he finished providing his explanations.

Thousands of Australians toured the Sydney Australia Temple during its public open house in September 1984, resulting in hundreds of requests for more information about the Church.

Due to a ruling by the local government, the Sydney Australia Temple was dedicated without a statue of the angel Moroni. After many prayers and fasting, the ruling was overruled a year later, and the statue was hoisted into place atop the spire the next day, September 3, 1985.

"The temple is concerned with things of immortality. It is a bridge between this life and the next. All of the ordinances that take place in the house of the Lord are expressions of our belief in the immortality of the human soul."